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Taking the Next Step

With my undergrad nearly completed (41 days but who’s counting) I am getting the itch to get out there and actually start DOING things. Now that I can see a light at the end of the tunnel, my brain has gone into overdrive thinking of all of the free time and money I will have not spending nearly every waking moment either worrying about school, or figuring out how to afford it. Sometimes, I am so excited I can barely contain myself.

The plans, oh the plans! I have an entire folder in my computer dedicated to trips I’ve planned in my head. All of this money saved on school can now be going towards travel, I mean, what else am I going to do, get a full-time job related to my field? (HA).

But, as with anything, despite this huge milestone in my life, my brain is constantly wracked with doubt and second-guessing.

My undergrad is in Business, but I’ve had many nights in which I’ve lain (word?) awake, wondering if I’ve made a huge mistake, wasted $50,000 going into the wrong field. I’ve always loved working with children, so naturally I considered becoming a teacher, but after great deliberation, decided on business. Yet, there has always been that part of me that thinks maybe I made a huge mistake.

And then, lo and behold, I made a discovery. Something that would allow me to pursue my passion for travel with my passion for teaching and interacting with children. That something, my friends, is the TEFL (or teaching English) certification, in which you are paid to teach English all over the world.

After a lot of research, I decided the best company to get certified with was i-to-i (not LoveTEFL). One of the things I LOVED about this company is that they have travel options built right in to the site. You are able to get the certification (which is Ofqual regulated, btw) alone, OR you can get your certification combined into an internship in a variety of locations. The course itself was not easy, in case you were thinking this is something you could get done in one night. I spent many hours studying and preparing for the exam, but the layout of the course is extremely user-friendly and easy to understand, which is so so important!

In addition to my certification, I chose to also take part in an internship to Surin, Thailand, which is 50% teaching, 50% travel. I leave in July and will be gone for 37 days teaching, touring and traveling! After working in a small town teaching English for three weeks, myself and the other teachers on the trip head to Cambodia AND Koh Phangan to relax, explore, and party!

I was extremely relieved to find this option of an internship available, as not only will it be an amazing adventure, it will also provide me with valuable, hands-on experience that I can take forward with me in life if I decide I would like to travel to other parts of our world.

As someone who is usually extremely indecisive and relatively risk-averse when it comes to money and the “unknowns” associated with travel, I cannot recommend getting this certification enough! If you decide to visit their website, they also regularly have sales on their certifications which is essentially the cherry on top.

So I encourage you to take the next step, and go ahead with that trip you’ve been on the fence about. For me, that was getting a certification and setting dates for an internship, for others that may be booking a plane ticket or a hostel. Whatever it is, do it-the experience is invaluable and the things you are likely to learn about yourself along the way are worth it!